Happy Birthday, Mommy
by HazylShy
Summary: It's a special day, and Jacob is visiting his mother for the first time since the accident.  R&R, please!


**Omg, this was so sad to write...**

**It's my mommy's birthday today, and while I was on break between classes (while I was SUPPOSED to be working on the other half on Enchanted...) I got to thinking about Jacob and his mom and the relationship they might've had. This idea came to my head, and once I started, I was UNSTOPPABLE. Haha!**

**So, I don't know about you guys, but I had a hard time not crying while writing and rereading this. Keep a couple tissues handy, just in case. It's a little cute, a little random, a little sad... Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Twilight, nor do I own the song "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday."**

* * *

"_Happy Birfday, Mommy!"_

_A young Jacob ran into his parents room, jumped on their bed and attacked his mother with a tight hug. It was her twenty-fifth birthday, and he wanted to be the first one to recognize it. The boy had been the first one awake and dashed into the room before anyone else could._

_His mother rubbed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him, smiling. "Oh, thank you, Jacob," she said. "You were the first one to say that today! Daddy hasn't even said it yet."_

"_Said what?" his father asked, sleepily, turning over and drifting back asleep. Sarah sighed at her husband's sleep-induced indifference._

"_I know," said Jacob. "Tha's why I got up early, 'cause I wanted to say it first! Can we go in the kitchen, I wanna make you breaffast, too!"_

_He crawled out of the bed and pulled his mother out with him and down to the kitchen of their small house. He sat her down at the kitchen table and used the step stool to get all the ingredients he needed to make her the perfect breakfast of Fruity Pebbles and orange juice. When she finished, he sung her Happy Birthday and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek before handing her his present and birthday card, both of which he'd made at Kindergarten. She read the card that he'd written himself (he was the neatest writer in the class) that said, "Hapy Birtday ," and smiled at it._

_She took the crudely wrapped gift in her hands (he'd insisted on doing it himself) and unwrapped it. It was an imprint of his hand in clay, painted gold with his name and the date it was made on the side. "Oh… thank you Jacob," she said, her eyes tearing up at the thought of such a young child being so thoughtful, especially her own son._

"_I love you, Mommy," Jacob said, climbing into her lap._

"_I love you too, Jacob Ephraim," she told him, holding him close._

"_Do you like your birfday present?"_

_Sarah smiled widely at him. "I love it. This is the best birthday ever."_

_And she meant it.

* * *

_

The drive was silent. He had wanted to go alone, but Leah and Sam had insisted on coming with him. They promised they'd keep their distance while he was with her, but them not being there at all would've made him happier. The flowers and his gift were in the backseat, next to Sam, who was watching them to make sure they didn't get messed up.

"Are you nervous?" Leah asked him, out of nowhere as they neared their destination.

"No," he answered curtly.

"Liar."

He didn't answer her and focused on the road. He was a little nervous, though. He wasn't really sure if this was real, or a dream. He hadn't come to see her at all since the accident. It wasn't until he was face to face with the headstone that he realized it was all really happening. Sam and Leah sat on a bench away from him, facing the other direction. He hated when people saw him cry, and he knew he'd end up in tears.

He read the headstone:

"_Sarah Leah Black;_

_Wife, Mother, and Friend."_

Her favorite quote lay underneath: _"Even when I am gone, you will always hear my voice when you listen with your heart."_

She used to say that to her family all the time.

Jacob's mother had the most beautiful voice. Each night, she would sing him to sleep with some ballad or lullaby, and her voice would echo in his dreams. It still did. He was lucky to have inherited her voice, unlike his sisters, who had the voices of gargoyles. He denied it, though. He hated to sing in front of people. It hurt to hear his mother in his own singing voice. So he put up a façade like he was awful so people would leave him alone.

"_Never be afraid to sing, Jacob,"_ she told him once when he had to sing for a Kindergarten musical. _"It's what you love; it's who you are. Never be ashamed of that."_

He tried to shake her voice from his head. He took a deep breath and sat down next to the stone, leaning against it, like he used to lean against her.

"Hi Mom," he spoke softly. "I hope you're not mad at me for never coming to see you until now… I guess I just wasn't… strong enough. But I am now, so… here I am."

He found it strange that talking to his mother's headstone wasn't odd at all. It was as though he was actually talking to her. He kept going.

"Things have been… different. I'm sure you knew about the Protectors all along. Well, I'm one of them now. Alpha, actually. It's okay, I guess… My birthday's in a couple months. I'll be twenty-one. But you know that already, don't you? And don't worry or anything. I'm not having a crazy party or anything like that. I'm relatively responsible. Just something small, probably with Dad, the girls, and Leah. I wish you could be there though. You always made get-togethers a lot more fun… I'm getting married next month. Leah finally stopped being stubborn and accepted my proposal. I think I've been chasing her almost as long as Dad chased you. I guess now I know how he felt… The wedding will be pretty small too. It'll just be family and close friends, on the beach. Leah refused to have a huge wedding. She doesn't want the big dress. She doesn't even want a dress. I had to talk her into a white summer dress; she wanted to wear sweatpants…

"I really miss you mom… I just… I still don't understand why…" he inhaled deeply, trying to calm himself down before he continued, feeling wetness slip from his eyes, and rolling down his cheeks. "Why it had to happen to you… you had a family; you had so much you still wanted to do. You wanted to adopt a kid from a different country; you wanted to go to college and be a music teacher… It wasn't fair… it wasn't fair to any of us! It was years before I really understood that you were never coming back. A kid should never have to go through that…

"I don't blame you though, Mom. I never did. I blamed God for a while, but… you always told us that everything happens for a reason… I don't know why He suddenly wanted to take you back, but… I don't think it was to spite anyone. Maybe He just loved you too much to let you sit and waste away in this world. After all, it's not that great nowadays, anyway.

"I'm not sure what else to say… Dad and the girls visit you more than I do; they probably tell you what's going on with them…"

He stopped talking then and just listened to and watched the surroundings of the cemetery; Flowers on graves, trees blowing and leaves rustling in the wind… He saw Leah and Sam, on their bench. He didn't want to keep them waiting, but there was one more thing he had left to do.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, and for the first time in many years, Jacob began to sing.

"_How do I say goodbye to what we had? _

_The good times that made us laugh _

_Outweigh the bad. "_

Leah perked up. Was she hearing correctly? She turned in her seat. Yes! He was singing! His voice was like butter, smooth, melted and flowing. Sam didn't turn to see, but his did close his eyes and smile. He remembered when Jacob was younger and singing was his favorite thing to do. It made Sam happy to hear his voice again.

"_I thought we'd get to see forever _

_But forever's gone away _

_It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday._

_I don't know where this road _

_Is going to lead _

_All I know is where we've been _

_And what we've been through."_

Leah felt her eyes tingle and she felt the tears fall. She covered her mouth with her hand to muffle the excited sobs that were escaping her lips. She couldn't help but hum the melody along with him. _Sarah would absolutely love this,_ she thought. _She's enjoying it now, I just know it. She's here; I can feel her…_

"_If we get to see tomorrow _

_I hope it's worth all the wait _

_It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday. _

_And I'll take with me the memories _

_To be my sunshine after the rain _

_It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday."_

Jacob sat up a little, and upon the final part of the song, he sang louder and stronger, wanting his mother to be fully proud of what she was hearing.

"_And I'll take with me the memories _

_To be my sunshine after the rain _

_It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday."_

When the song was finished, Jacob wiped his tears and stood up. He realized he hadn't given his mother her gifts yet. He placed the flowers, white roses, her favorites, on her grave. He then took the other, terribly wrapped gift in his hands (he still wasn't the best at wrapping things). He slowly unwrapped it, revealing his adult handprint in clay, painted gold with his name and the date it was made on the side. He wished he could give her the same one he made when he was five, but she'd always kept it in her car, and it had gotten smashed in the accident. But he thought she'd love the replica just as much.

He placed it at the base of her headstone and stepped back, sighing heavily.

"Happy Birthday, Mommy," he whispered. "I love you."

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**Please review! I wanna know if you liked it! :D**


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